CA Ordered to Free Inmates From Overcrowded Prisons

Hide your kids, hide your wife? A panel of federal judges on Thursday ordered California officials to begin releasing inmates from its overcrowded prisons, the New York Times reports.

The panel suggests that Gov. Jerry Brown expand on good-behavior time credits that would allow inmates to complete their prison sentences early.

The judges expect prison capacity to be down to 137 percent by the end of the year. That’s about 10,000 inmates who could be freed. About 110,000 inmates would remain locked up. The prisons are currently at 150 percent capacity, the Times reports.

Brown, who aggressively fought a 2011 Supreme Court ruling that found the current state prison system amounted to cruel and unusual punishment, due to poor health and living conditions, has said he will push back and make a second appeal to the Supreme Court.

2 Responses to CA Ordered to Free Inmates From Overcrowded Prisons

I recall working in the Sheriff’s department in MA when this same initiative took place, it was not as a reaction to overcrowded prisons, but more as incentive to promote good behavior. At the time it was statutory good time. We would hold hearings to determine if sentencing would be shortened for good behavior or increased for bad behavior. It has been done away with. I wonder if they will bring it back when their prisons overcrowd???